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To the Editor.— I read with both interest and a certain amount of dismay the editorial by Dr. Joseph R. DiPalma (228:499, 1974). Some of Dr. DiPalma's statements seem on the verge of contradiction. At one point in his adulation ofAMA Drug Evaluations (AMA-DE)the author imparts the hope that pharmacology instructors (among others) will use the book in the course of their teaching responsibilities. At another point, he states that only a "sound education" can aid in better prescribing habits among physicians. Both these statements, however, are soon shown to lack credibility when the indication is presented that "clinical pharmacologists" may find some fault withAMA-DEdue to its lack of comparison of new drugs with older, and perhaps better, agents. Of all the sections of the book, this particular one would seemingly offer the greatest potential for educating the physician as to the possible merits of a
Richard S. Jacobs (Mon,) studied this question.